KR102064354B1 - Cleaner for substrate container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate container comprising a container body and a container cover for storing and transporting a substrate. The substrate container cleaning apparatus according to the present invention comprises at least one substrate container including a plurality of container body support parts on which the container body is seated with an open portion of the container body facing downward, and a container cover support part on which the container cover is seated. A carrier, and a rotating portion for transmitting the rotational force by the motor to the substrate container carrier. Wherein each of the container body support portion, the side frame for supporting the side of the container body, the lower frame connected to the side frame to support the open part of the container body, and the support for supporting the open edge of the container body across the lower frame It includes a bar, the container cover support is spaced apart from the side frame between the container body support.

Description

Cleaner for substrate container {Cleaner for substrate container}

The present invention relates to a substrate container cleaning apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate container comprising a container body and a container cover for storing and transporting the substrate.

Since a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device is a high-precision article, great care must be taken when storing or transporting the substrate so that it is not contaminated by external contaminants or damaged by external impact.

A separate container (FOUP: Front Opening Unified Pod) is used to store or transport the substrate to protect it from contaminants and external shocks.

The container holds high precision substrates, so high cleanliness must be maintained. To maintain high cleanliness, the container should be cleaned periodically. Cleaning of the substrate container may be performed through a separate cleaning device.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0074975 (June 18, 2014)

The present invention provides a substrate container cleaning apparatus capable of simultaneously cleaning a plurality of container bodies and a plurality of container covers.

The present invention provides a substrate container cleaning apparatus including a two-fluid jet nozzle for mixing and spraying the cleaning liquid and air to increase the cleaning efficiency as the substrate container is enlarged.

The present invention provides a substrate container cleaning apparatus capable of increasing the cleaning efficiency inside the substrate container.

The present invention provides a cleaning apparatus including a high pressure spray nozzle for shortening the drying time of a container of a complicated shape due to the enlargement of the container.

The substrate container cleaning apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may clean a substrate container including a container body and a container cover for storing and transporting a substrate. The substrate container cleaning apparatus includes at least one substrate container carrier including a plurality of container body support parts on which the container body is seated with an open portion of the container body facing downward, and a container cover support part on which the container cover is seated, and a motor. It may include a rotating portion for transmitting the rotational force by the substrate container carrier. At this time, each of the container body support portion, the side frame for supporting the side of the container body, the lower frame is connected to the side frame to support the open portion of the container body, and across the lower frame of the container body It may include a support bar for supporting the open edge. In addition, the container cover support may be spaced apart from the side frame between the container body support.

In one embodiment, further comprising a cleaning nozzle unit for spraying the cleaning liquid composed of an upper nozzle, a lower nozzle, a side nozzle, and a rear nozzle disposed on the upper, lower, side, and rear surfaces of the substrate container carrier, At least one of the upper nozzle, the lower nozzle, the side nozzle, and the rear nozzle may include a two-fluid nozzle for spraying a two-fluid mixture of the cleaning liquid and air.

In one embodiment, the container body support portion may further include a support guide projecting upward from the lower frame at the corner portion of the container body to abut the two adjacent sides of the container body.

In one embodiment, it may further include a sensor for detecting whether the container body seated on the container body support portion or the container cover seated on the container cover support portion is separated.

In one embodiment, further comprising a reflecting plate provided at a position facing the corresponding sensor, at least one of the container body support and the container cover support on the path facing the sensor and the reflecting plate Can be positioned.

In one embodiment, the plurality of container body support and the container cover support, it may be arranged in a circular shape around the rotating portion.

In one embodiment, the cleaning nozzle unit, the upper nozzle, the lower nozzle, the side nozzle, the rear nozzle may be provided in plurality.

The plurality of upper nozzles and the plurality of lower nozzles may be arranged in a circle corresponding to the shape of the substrate container carrier, and the plurality of side nozzles and the plurality of rear nozzles may be arranged to surround the substrate container carrier. .

In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of upper nozzles, the plurality of lower nozzles, the plurality of side nozzles, and the plurality of rear nozzles, the size of the container body and the container cover and the rotation of the rotating unit By considering at least one of the rotational speed by the air can be injected.

The substrate container cleaning apparatus according to the present invention includes a substrate sensing unit for detecting whether a substrate exists in the substrate container, and a substrate for storing the substrate by separately transferring the cleaning without proceeding when the substrate is detected by the substrate sensing unit. The storage unit may further include.

In the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate container carrier, the rotating part, and the cleaning nozzle unit are provided in a cleaning chamber, and a buffer part configured to hold at least one of a container body and a container cover temporarily accommodated in the cleaning chamber. It may further include.

According to the present invention, by providing a device capable of accommodating and cleaning a plurality of container body and a plurality of container cover at the same time, it is possible to save the equipment space for separately cleaning the container cover, and also required to separately clean the container cover You can save time.

According to the present invention, the cleaning liquid can be uniformly and strongly sprayed by providing a two-fluid injection nozzle which mixes and sprays the cleaning liquid and air. Therefore, the large-area substrate container can be cleaned more quickly and cleanly.

According to the present invention, the cleanliness of the semiconductor substrate stored in the substrate container can be improved by providing an apparatus capable of increasing the cleaning efficiency inside the substrate container.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate container.
Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view of the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing a cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5A is a detailed view of a portion of a substrate container carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the substrate container carrier. And Figure 5c is a view of the container body support according to an embodiment of the present invention from various angles.
6 and 7 are views illustrating a cleaning nozzle unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view showing a storage unit for drying and storing a container cover constituting the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to clarify the technical spirit of the present invention. In the following description of the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known functions or components will be omitted when it is determined that the detailed description of the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention. Components having substantially the same functional configuration among the drawings have been given the same reference numerals and symbols as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings. For convenience of explanation, the device and method should be described together when necessary.

1 is a view showing an embodiment of a substrate container.

Referring to FIG. 1, a substrate container for storing or transporting a substrate may include a container body 10 and a container cover 12.

The container body 10 may be partially opened to accommodate a plurality of substrates 14 therein.

The container cover 12 covers and closes the opened part of the container body 10. Therefore, the container cover 12 may block the foreign substances introduced into the container body 10 to protect the substrate 14 accommodated in the container body 10.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a plan view of the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for cleaning a substrate container for storing or transporting a semiconductor substrate. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the substrate container may include a container body 10 and a container cover 12.

2 and 3, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 includes a loading / unloading unit 100, a buffer unit 200, a robot 300, a cleaning unit 400, a main controller 500, and monitoring. The unit 600 is included.

The loading / unloading unit 100 loads the substrate container to be cleaned or unloads the substrate container that has been cleaned. The loading / unloading unit 100 may include a transfer unit 110 and a door opening and closing unit 120. The transfer unit 110 transfers the substrate container loaded by the loading / unloading unit 100 to the buffer unit 200, or loads / unloads the substrate container waiting in the buffer unit 200 from the buffer unit 200. It can be transferred to the loading unit 100. At this time, the door is opened and closed by the door opening and closing unit 120.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the loading / unloading unit 100, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, to load or unload a plurality of substrate containers, at least two (for example , Three) transfer parts 110 and a door opening and closing part 120 may be configured. Therefore, at least two or more substrate containers from the loading / unloading unit 100 may be simultaneously transferred to the buffer unit 200. As described above, as the loading / unloading unit 100 is configured to include the plurality of transfer units 110 and the door opening and closing unit 120, the substrate container is cleaned in the present invention as compared with the conventional method of sequentially transferring the substrate containers one by one. The time taken to transfer the substrate container within the apparatus 20 can be reduced. For example, the loading / unloading unit 100 may include a forward / backward and a raise / lower unit to load or unload two or more substrate containers by moving forward / backwarding and raising / lowering. In addition, at least two loading / unloading units 100 may be used to simultaneously clean four sets of the container body and the container cover in the chamber A, thereby sequentially cleaning one by one in the conventional manner. This can significantly reduce the time required to transport the container.

The substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 according to the present invention may include a loading / unloading unit 100 and may include a control device for automatically implementing the entirety of the substrate container from loading to unloading.

The buffer unit 200 is a place for storing a substrate container to be cleaned or a substrate container having been cleaned. For example, the buffer unit 200 may hold at least two substrate containers to be cleaned, which are transferred from the loading / unloading unit 100. Accordingly, the cleaning unit 400 may receive and clean the substrate container waiting in advance in the buffer unit 200 as much as the substrate container storage capacity of the cleaning unit 400, and as a result, the substrate may be cleaned by the cleaning unit 400. The transfer time for transferring the container and the waiting time of the substrate container in the substrate container cleaner 20 can be minimized.

The robot 300 may move the substrate container to be cleaned in the buffer unit 200 to the cleaning unit 400 or move the substrate container in which the cleaning is completed in the cleaning unit 400 to the buffer unit 200. The robot 300 may be a robot composed of multiple joints, and may include a gripper that can hold a substrate container.

For example, the robot 300 may use the gripper to grab the substrate container to be cleaned in the buffer unit 200 and move it to the cleaning unit 400, where an open part of the container body of the substrate container is directed downward. The direction of the substrate container may be changed to face the same. Therefore, the opened part of the container body can be accommodated in the cleaning unit 400 (more specifically, the container body support 413 to be described later) in a state facing downward.

The robot 300 may be controlled by the robot controller 350, and the robot controller 350 may be a device having a control function module necessary to perform the operation of the robot 300 described above.

On the other hand, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaning chamber (chamber) A, which is a space for simultaneously cleaning the substrate container, that is, the container body and the container cover. The cleaning chamber A is opened and closed by the door B, and the cleaning unit 400 is provided inside the cleaning chamber A.

According to an embodiment, the door B is opened so that the container body and the container cover transferred by the robot 300 can be accommodated into the cleaning chamber A, and when the container body and the container cover are completed, the door is opened. (B) is closed, the cleaning unit 400 can clean the container body and the container cover.

The cleaning unit 400 includes a substrate container carrier 410 that can accommodate a plurality of container bodies and a plurality of container covers, and a cleaning nozzle unit 430 that sprays a cleaning liquid. Detailed configuration of the cleaning unit 400 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The main controller 500 is for controlling the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20, and may be, for example, a device having a control function module.

The monitoring unit 600 is for monitoring the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20, and may include a monitor and a keyboard. For example, an operation process of the substrate container cleaning device 20 or a process of cleaning the substrate container may be monitored through a monitor screen, and various information for controlling or monitoring the substrate container cleaning device 20 may be monitored through a keyboard. You can enter For example, as described below, when the container body or the container cover is detached from the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20, the status may be known through the monitoring unit 600. As such, by providing a device such as a monitor and a keyboard, the monitoring unit 600 may receive information for instructing various controls and operations of the substrate container cleaning device 20, and through this, the substrate container cleaning device 20. Control operation).

The substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a storage part 800 for drying or storing the container cover. Detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5A is a detailed view of a portion of a substrate container carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a substrate container shown in FIG. 5A. An exploded perspective view of the carrier, Figure 5c is a view of the configuration of one of the container body support included in the substrate container carrier from a variety of perspectives. In Fig. 5C, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a rear view, (d) is a right side view, (e) is a left side view, and (f) is a bottom view.

6 and 7 are views illustrating a cleaning nozzle unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 7, the cleaning unit 400 is provided inside the cleaning chamber A, and includes a substrate container carrier 410 and a cleaning nozzle unit 430.

5A shows only the substrate container carrier 410. The substrate container carrier 410 is configured to receive the container body and the container cover, and may rotate about the central portion of the substrate container carrier 410 about its axis.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 5A, the substrate container carrier 410 is rotated in connection with a rotating part 411 for transmitting the rotational force by a motor to rotate the substrate container carrier 410, and the rotating part 411. The container body support part 413 and the container cover support part 419 may be included. For example, a plurality of container body support parts 413 may be provided to rotate in a state in which a plurality of container bodies are fixed, and the container cover support part 419 is disposed between the container body support parts 413 and similarly, the rotating part. It is connected to 411 and can rotate. In some embodiments, the container cover supporter 419 may be directly connected to the rotary part 411 or may be connected to the rotary part 411 through the container body support 413.

According to the embodiment, the rotating part 411 is located at the center of the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419, the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419 is a rotating part 411 is located at the center ), And may be arranged in a circle, for example.

The rotating unit 411 may include a rotating motor that provides rotational power, and rotates the substrate container carrier 410 by the rotational power of the rotating motor. Accordingly, the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419 can rotate about the central portion of the substrate container carrier 410 about the axis.

In one embodiment, the rotating unit 411 may provide a rotational speed of 0 ~ 10rpm by the rotary motor. In addition, the rotating unit 411 may adjust a rotational speed or driving force of the rotating unit 411 by coupling a gear box to the rotating motor. For example, a gear box having a gear ratio of 50: 1 may be used in the present invention. According to the embodiment, after the plurality of the container body and the container cover is accommodated in the chamber A, the time for cleaning and drying through rotation may take about 30 minutes including the transfer time. The substrate container cleaning apparatus according to the present invention can clean the plurality of container bodies during one cleaning process, and can also clean the container cover at a time, thereby significantly reducing the time required for cleaning the substrate container.

As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the container body support part 413 is for receiving and seating the container body with the open part of the container body facing downward, that is, the inside of the container body facing downward. It may be configured using a support member. According to an embodiment, the container body support 413 may be connected to the rotating part 411 through the connecting frame 414c.

In one embodiment, the container body support 413 may include a support frame configured along the shape of the container body (specifically, the edge of the container body). The support frame includes a lower frame 414a installed along the edge of the lower surface of the container body support 413 and a side frame 414b installed on the side of the container body support 413 to support the container body from the side. can do. In some embodiments, the container body support 413 may further include a connection frame 414c. The lower frame 414a and the side frame 414b may be connected to each other in a bar shape. In Figure 5c (f) it can be seen that the overall shape of the lower frame (414a) is composed of a polygon in a form surrounding the container body.

For example, the lower frame 414a may be formed in a rectangular or polygonal frame as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C by reflecting a horizontal cross-sectional shape of the container body so as to more stably seat the container body. In addition, the side frame 414b may be configured in the form of a frame capable of supporting one side of the container body as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C. In another embodiment, the side frame 414b may be configured in the form of a frame capable of supporting a plurality of side surfaces of the container body. Particularly referring to FIGS. 5C, (b), (c), (d), and (e), the side frame 414b extends in a vertical direction from the lower frame 414a, particularly including the corner portion of the sub-frame. It may be formed in plurality in order to prevent the separation of the container body. In addition, according to an embodiment, an upper frame connecting the upper portion of the lower frame 414 may be formed. The upper frame may be formed at the same height as the connecting frame 414c.

However, the side frame 414b may be formed such that one side of the side constituting the container body is opened to accommodate the container body. The substrate container body can be accommodated through the open side. According to an exemplary embodiment, the side facing the rotating part 411, that is, the outer side of the rotating part may be opened. For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5C, the front direction of the container body support 413 may be opened.

The lower and side surfaces of the container body support 413 may have an open structure except for the bar-shaped support frame portions 414a and 414b. As a result, when cleaning the container body, it provides a structure in which the cleaning liquid can be injected into the open portion of the container body support 413, it can be effective to clean a large area of the container body. In addition, since the cleaning liquid for cleaning the container body and impurities remaining in the container body fall through the open lower part, it is effective for drying and washing the container body.

The container body support part 413 has a support bar 415 to support the container body because the lower part has an open structure. In addition, the container body support 413 may be further provided with a support structure for preventing the flow down due to deformation of the internal structure because the cleaning by the high temperature at the time of cleaning the container. For example, the container body support 413 may have an assembly structure supporting the substrate.

The support bar 415 may be formed of a rod-shaped support member as shown in FIG. 5A on the lower surface of the container body support 413 and may support the container body. For example, the support bar 415 may be installed to cross the two frames facing the lower frame 414a of the container body support 413 or to cross the center. For example, when the support bar 415 is disposed to pass through the center of gravity of the container body, it can support the container body more stably.

According to the present invention, since the container body support part 413 is rotated by the rotating part 411, the container body seated on the container body support part 413 also rotates together. According to the embodiment, the rotational force of the rotating part 411 may be transmitted to the container body support 413 through the connection frame 414c of the container body support 413. According to the embodiment, the connecting frame 414c is formed in a hollow rectangular shape so as to be firmly connected to the rotating part 411, and at the same time, the weight load of the container body support part 413 can be minimized. Referring to (d) and (e) of FIG. 5C, it can be seen that the inside of the connection frame 414c has an empty rectangular shape.

On the other hand, when the container body support 413 rotates, the container body may be separated from the container body support 413. Accordingly, in order to prevent the container body from being separated, the container body support 413 may include a support guide 417.

The support guide 417 may be composed of a support member protruding from the lower frame 414a at the edge portion of the lower frame 414a of the container body support 413 as shown in FIG. 5A. It serves to support so that it can be seated in a fixed position.

For example, the support guides 417a and 417b may have a structure that can be in contact with two adjacent sides forming one corner of the container body, for example, a structure fixed to abutment in the form of “a” shape. It may be provided at a position corresponding to each corner portion. In another embodiment, the support guide may be configured in a "one" shape to support the exposed side of the container body, which is not supported by the side frame (414b).

As shown in Fig. 5a, the support guide 417a is composed of two conical or screw forms, such as bolts and nuts, arranged in an "a" shape, or the support guide 417b has a taper of "a". It may be composed of a protruding shape member. In addition, as shown in Figure 5a, the container body support 413 may be provided with support guides (417a, 417b) of different types.

As in the embodiment of the present invention, when the support guides 417a and 417b of different types are provided, different types of support guides 417a and 417b may be applied according to the shape of the container body. For example, when the support guide 417b is composed of a protruding member of the letter "a", it may be suitable for fixing the container body of the square shape to be seated in a predetermined position. According to an embodiment, when the support guide 417a is configured in the form of two screws arranged in an "a" shape, it may be suitable to fix the container body having a shape other than a square shape to be seated in a predetermined position.

Therefore, the substrate container carrier 410 according to an embodiment of the present invention can accommodate not only the container body of the same type but also different types of container bodies, and thus, different types of container bodies in the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20. Can be washed simultaneously.

The container cover support part 419 is for accommodating and seating the container cover in a vertical state, and is configured as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B by using a support member. The container cover supporter 419 may be disposed between the container body supporter 413 to maximize the space receiving capacity.

In one embodiment, the container cover support 419 may be configured to support the one side portion of the container cover received in a vertical state. In this case, the container cover supporter 419 may include a container cover side frame 419a in which a wide side portion of the container cover may be supported in a vertical direction. The container cover side frame 419a may be formed as a frame formed by being connected in a bar shape, and in this case, portions other than the bar shape frame may have an open structure. Therefore, when the container cover is cleaned, the cleaning liquid may be injected into the open portion of the container cover support 419, and thus, may be effective for cleaning a large area of the container cover.

In addition, the container cover supporter 419 may include a container cover lower frame 419b to support and support the container cover. The container cover lower frame 419b may include a lower surface supporting the narrow side portion of the container cover and a portion of the support guide 419c supporting the container cover to be fixed at a predetermined position. At this time, the support guide portion may be formed on the opposite side of the container cover side frame (419a) protruding from the lower portion of the container cover support (419).

According to an embodiment, the container cover supporter 419 may be disposed in connection with the side frame 414b of the at least one container body supporter 413 between the plurality of container body supporters 413. In this case, the container cover supporter 419 may be disposed to have a predetermined inclination angle with one side of the container body supporter 413. As shown in FIG. 5A, the substrate container carrier 410 may include a connection frame 418a that connects the container cover support 419 and the container body support 413. The connection frame 418a may be configured to connect the upper and lower portions of one side of the container cover support 419, as shown in FIG. 5A, and connect the lower (or upper) portion of the container cover support 419. It may be made of a structure.

According to an embodiment, as the container cover support 419 and the container body support 413 are spaced apart at a predetermined inclination, the container cover and the container body may be disposed without overlapping regions. Therefore, when the container cover and the container body are simultaneously cleaned, the cleaning liquid can be evenly sprayed on all areas of the container cover and the container body, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency. Further, according to the present invention, since the container cover and the container body do not need to be cleaned in separate spaces, the waste of the cleaning space can be prevented, and since the container cover and the container body do not need to be separately cleaned. The washing time can be shortened.

According to an embodiment, as the substrate container carrier 410 has a connecting frame 418a, the container cover support 419 is not directly connected to the rotating part 411, but as the container body support 413 rotates, The cover support 419 can rotate.

In addition, the container cover support part 419 has an upper connection part 418b which connects the upper part of the container cover support part 419 and the upper part of the two container body support parts 413 arrange | positioned at both sides of the container cover support part 419. It can be provided. In this case, the upper connection part 418b may be disposed at a position passing through the center of gravity of the upper part of the container cover support part 419 and may be connected to the upper parts of the two container body support parts 413. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, when the connecting frame 418a is configured to connect the lower portion of the container cover support 419, the container cover support 419 may have an upper connection to provide a more stable structure. 418b may be provided. The upper connection part 418b may be provided with a device for mechanically matching the position when the robot 300 seats the container cover, and when the rotating part 411 rotates after the robot 300 seats the container cover. Fixing bracket 418c may be provided to prevent the departure.

The container body support part 413 and the container cover support part 419 are comprised in plurality (for example, four or six), in order to be able to wash | clean several container bodies and a plurality of container covers simultaneously. At this time, the plurality of container body support portion 413 and the plurality of container cover support portion 419 may be configured in a circular arrangement around the rotating portion 411, the container body support portion 413 and the container cover support portion 419 alternately It may be disposed in the vicinity of the rotating part 411. By the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419 having such an arrangement structure, the space efficiency in the cleaning chamber A can be increased. Furthermore, since the container cover support 419 is configured to seat the container cover in the vertical direction, the space required for configuring the container cover support 419 can be reduced, thereby maximizing space efficiency.

4 and 5A, the cleaning unit 400 detects whether the container body is separated from the container body support 413, or whether the container cover is separated from the container cover support 419. ) May be included. In FIG. 5B, the sensor 420 is not illustrated to easily explain the configuration of the frames.

The detection sensor 420 is installed on the side of the cleaning chamber A, and may be installed on one side or more than one side. In this case, the sensor 420 recognizes the movement or position of the container body and the container cover through a detection signal to determine whether the container body and the container cover are separated from the container body support 413 and / or the container cover support 419. I can detect it.

The sensor 420 may operate when the container body and the container cover are accommodated in the cleaning chamber A and seated on the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419. For example, when the container body and the container cover are accommodated in the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419 and seated in a predetermined position, the sensor 420 recognizes the position through the detection signal and the container body and It can be detected that the container cover is not detached. Alternatively, when the container body and the container cover are not accommodated in the container body support part 413 and the container cover support part 419 or are not seated in a predetermined position, the sensor 420 detects the container body and the container cover using a detection signal. Can be detected as out of order.

In addition, the sensor 420 may be operated while the substrate container carrier 410 is rotated when the container body and the container cover are cleaned. At this time, as the container carrier 410 is rotated, the container body seated on the container body support 413 and the container cover seated on the container cover support 419 are rotated, so that the sensor 420 is the container body and the container cover. By recognizing the movement or position of the container body support portion 413 and the container cover support portion 419 can detect whether the container body and the container cover is separated.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the cleaning unit 400 may further include a reflection plate 421 together with the detection sensor 420. In this case, the reflecting plate 421 may be installed on the side of the inside of the cleaning chamber (A) facing the side on which the sensor 420 is installed. Accordingly, the detection sensor 420 may detect a signal reflected by the reflection plate 421 to detect whether an object, that is, a container body and / or a container cover exists between the detection sensor 420 and the reflection plate 421. have. For example, when the container body and the container cover are positioned between the sensor 420 and the reflector 421 while the substrate container carrier 410 is rotating, the sensor 420 may be formed by the container body and the container cover. The signal reflected from 421 may not be detected. In this case, it can be seen that the container body and the container cover are not separated from the container body support 413 and the container cover support 419. On the contrary, when the sensor 420 detects the signal reflected from the reflector 421, the container body and the container cover are not located between the sensor 420 and the reflector 421, so that the container body and the container cover are It can be seen that the main support 413 and the container cover support 419 are separated.

Since the sensor 420 according to the present invention is installed inside the cleaning chamber A, the sensor body 420 is exposed to the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle unit 430 while the container body and the container cover are cleaned. Therefore, the sensor 420 may be provided with a protective cover (not shown) having a waterproof function to be protected from the cleaning liquid.

Meanwhile, the cleaning unit 400 includes the cleaning nozzle unit 430 as described above, and the cleaning nozzle unit 430 includes the cleaning liquid and the air storage unit 750 supplied from the cleaning liquid storage unit 700 (see FIG. 2). (See Fig. 2) is injected into the container body and the container cover.

In addition, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 may further include a device for applying heat to the cleaning liquid and compressed air, or nitrogen (N ₂ ), and for example, a pressurization and heating tank with a heater, and an inline heater. It can be provided. The substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 may further include a nozzle for injecting the cleaning liquid and compressed air into the chamber and a device for discharging moisture through the exhaust.

6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a container body and a container cover are accommodated in the substrate container carrier 410 and a state of the cleaning nozzle unit 430, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the same configuration.

In the present invention, the cleaning nozzle unit 430 may be composed of a two-fluid injection nozzle for mixing and spraying the cleaning liquid and air and a single-fluid injection nozzle for spraying only the cleaning liquid or only spraying the air. In one embodiment, the cleaning nozzle unit 430 may be provided with a two-fluid cleaning nozzle configured in such a way that the N ₂ line and the DIW line is mixed from the outside. In addition, the cleaning nozzle unit 430 may be provided with a device for injecting the cleaning liquid and compressed air or compressed nitrogen from the outside to spray the container body and the container cover in the form of a two-fluid.

Here, the hydraulic fluid refers to a single fluid, and refers to a cleaning liquid that is a liquid or air that is a gas. The double fluid refers to a state in which a liquid and a gas are mixed with each other, and may be strongly and uniformly injected by the collision force generated when the liquid and the gas are mixed.

6 and 7, the cleaning nozzle unit 430 is provided in the cleaning chamber A, and the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, the side nozzle 435, At least one of the rear nozzles 437.

A plurality of upper nozzles 431 may be disposed on the substrate container carrier 410. The upper nozzle 431 may clean the outside of the container body and the container cover seated on the substrate container carrier 410 by spraying the hydraulic body or the dual body in the downward direction. For example, the upper nozzle 431 may be disposed one each on the top of the container body and the container cover.

A plurality of lower nozzles 433 may be disposed under the substrate container carrier 410. The lower nozzle 433 may clean the container body and the container cover seated on the substrate container carrier 410 by spraying a hydraulic or two-fluid fluid from the bottom to the top. According to the present invention, since the inside of the container body is seated on the substrate container carrier 410 in a downward direction, the inside of the container body can be cleaned by the lower nozzle 433. In addition, since the inside of the container body is in a downward direction, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the lower nozzle 433 while cleaning the inside of the container body can be naturally discharged from the inside of the container body by gravity. Therefore, according to the present invention, the internal cleaning efficiency of the container body can be improved, and as a result, the cleanliness of the substrate stored in the container body can be further improved.

In addition, since the cleaning liquid is discharged by gravity after the container is cleaned in this manner, even if the rotational speed of the substrate container carrier 410 is not relatively fast, the cleaning power of the substrate container carrier 410 is high and drying after cleaning is easy.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lower nozzle 433 may be disposed under the container body support 413. According to an embodiment, the lower nozzle 433 may be inclined at a predetermined angle in consideration of the size of the container body so that the cleaning liquid and gas injected to the inner edge of the container body may come into contact with each other.

For example, the lower nozzles 433 may be disposed in pairs at the bottom of the container body.

According to an embodiment, the upper nozzle 431 and the lower nozzle 433 may be disposed corresponding to the arrangement form of the container body support 413 and / or the container cover support 419.

A plurality of side nozzles 435 may be disposed along the side of the substrate container carrier 410. The side nozzle 435 may clean the outer side of the container body and the container cover seated on the substrate container carrier 410 by spraying a single body or two-fluid in the side direction. In one embodiment of the present invention, the side nozzle 435 may be installed along the outer periphery of the substrate container carrier 410 in consideration of the size of the container body and the container cover.

For example, the side nozzles 435 may be disposed in pairs to the container cover support portion 419 in which the container cover is accommodated. Since the container cover supporter 419 is disposed between the container body supporter 413, the side surface of the container cover and the side surface of the container body may be cleaned together by the cleaning liquid and gas injected from the side nozzle 435.

A plurality of rear nozzles 437 may be disposed along the inner periphery of the substrate container carrier 410. The rear nozzle 437 may be installed near the rotating part 411 to clean the rear side of the container body facing the rotating part 411.

For example, the rear nozzle 437 may be disposed vertically along the center of the side frame at the rear of the container body support 413.

In the cleaning nozzle unit 430 configuring the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, the side nozzle 435, and the rear nozzle 437 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate container carrier 410 is provided. In consideration of the configuration of the container body support portion 413 and the container cover support portion 419, as shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be configured in a circular arrangement at regular intervals. In addition, in consideration of the size of the container body and the container cover, the rotational speed of the substrate container carrier 410, etc., it may be composed of a single-fluid jet nozzle or a two-fluid jet nozzle.

For example, the upper nozzle 431 and the lower nozzle 433 may be composed of a hydraulic spray nozzle for spraying cleaning liquid and a hydraulic spray nozzle for spraying air, and the side nozzle 435 may be a two-fluid spray nozzle. Can be configured. Alternatively, the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, and the side nozzle 435 may include both the hydraulic jet nozzle and the dual jet nozzle. The configuration of the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433 and the side nozzle 435 is only one example, and can be configured in various ways in consideration of the cleaning efficiency, such as the size of the container body and the container cover as described above. .

In addition, in order to improve the cleaning efficiency of the container body and the container cover according to an embodiment of the present invention, the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, and the side nozzles 435 first spray the air body to the container body and the container The cleaning liquid may be uniformly applied to the cover, and then the cleaning liquid, which is a first-class fluid, may be injected and air may be injected.

Therefore, the cleaning nozzle unit 430 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may configure an optimized hydraulic and double-fluid injection nozzle, and as a result, efficiently selects the single-fluid and dual-fluid injection method to perform the cleaning process. You can proceed.

In an embodiment, Table 1 below shows an example of a method of configuring the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, the side nozzle 435, and the rear nozzle 437.

division Cleaning liquid (DIW) / air (CDA) flux Lower nozzle Cleaning liquid (DIW) 13ea x 4 rows = 52ea
52ea x 1lpm = 52lpm
2 minutes x 52lpm = 104L Air (CDA) 13ea x 4 rows = 52ea
52ea x 40lpm = 2080lpm Side nozzle Cleaning liquid (DIW) 5ea x 4 rows = 20ea
20ea x 0.5lpm = 10lpm
1 minute x 10lpm = 10L Air (CDA) 10ea x 4 rows = 40ea
40ea x 40lpm = 1600lpm Upper nozzle Cleaning liquid (DIW) 5ea x 4 rows = 20ea
20ea x 0.5lpm = 10lpm
1 minute x 10lpm = 10L Air (CDA) 10ea x 4 rows = 40ea
40ea x 40lpm = 1600lpm Rear nozzle Cleaning liquid (DIW) 5ea x 2 rows = 10ea
10ea x 0.5lpm = 5lpm
1 minute x 5lpm = 5L Air (CDA) 10ea x 2 rows = 20ea
20ea x 40lpm = 800lpm Total Cleaning liquid (DIW)
Pressurized Tank Capacity 150L 2 minutes of simultaneous use x 77lpm = 154L
3 minutes 104L + 10L + 10L + 5L = 129L Air (CDA) 6080 lpm

As shown in Table 1, each of the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, the side nozzle 435, and the rear nozzle 437 may be configured differently depending on the number of nozzles according to the cleaning liquid injection and air injection. In addition, the flow rate may be set differently according to the injection method and the number of nozzles.

For example, in the case of the lower nozzle, four rows of 13 unit nozzles for dispensing the cleaning liquid can be arranged to inject a flow rate of 1 lpm for 2 minutes, and a unit nozzle for 13 units for spraying air is provided. Four rows can be arranged to inject a flow rate of 1 lpm each.

In the case of the side nozzles, four rows of unit nozzles arranged in five arrays for spraying the cleaning liquid can be disposed to inject a flow rate of 0.5 lpm for one minute, and four unit arrays of ten arrays injecting air are arranged for four minutes. Can be injected at a flow rate of 40lpm each.

In the case of the upper nozzle, four rows of five unit nozzles for spraying the cleaning liquid can be arranged to inject a flow rate of 0.5 lpm for one minute, and four units of ten nozzle arrays for injecting air are arranged. Can be injected at a flow rate of 40lpm each.

In the case of the rear nozzle, two rows of five unit nozzles for spraying the cleaning liquid can be arranged to inject a flow rate of 0.5 lpm for one minute, and two units of ten nozzles for injecting air are arranged for two minutes. Can be injected at a flow rate of 40lpm each.

Each of the upper nozzle 431, the lower nozzle 433, the side nozzle 435, and the rear nozzle 437 may be configured as a dry cleaning unit that performs dry dry cleaning without using a cleaning liquid.

8 is a view showing a storage unit for drying and storing the container cover constituting the substrate container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the shape which opened the inside of a storage part, and FIG. 8 (b) is sectional drawing of a storage part.

3 and 8, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a storage unit 800 for drying (for example, dry cleaning) or storage of the container cover as described above ) May be further included.

Storage unit 800 is configured to be stored side by side in a vertical state container cover as shown in Figure 8, for this purpose is provided with a support 810 that can support one side portion of the container cover. The storage unit 800 includes an air injection unit 820 through which air is injected from an upper portion of the storage unit 800 to prevent contamination of the container cover being stored. The air injector 820 may include a motor to inject air by a driving force of the motor. For example, the air injection unit 820 may include a BLDC motor (BrushLess Direct Current Motor) having a high wind speed compared to a conventional FFU motor to provide strong air from the top to the bottom.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in order to easily discharge the contaminants of the container cover in a downward direction, the support part 810 of the storage part 800 may have a predetermined inclination angle (eg, an inclination angle of 5 degrees) in a vertical line of the container cover. It can be configured to have). In addition, the support 810 of the storage unit 800 may be provided with a detection sensor for detecting whether the container cover is supported, and only when it is detected that the container cover is supported by the air sensor ( 820 may be configured to inject air.

Since the air flows from the top to the bottom of the container cover in the storage unit 800, impurities and moisture are naturally transferred to the bottom to maintain a clean state of the container cover. Furthermore, since the container cover is fixed to be inclined by a predetermined inclination angle by the support part 810, the flow of air may be transmitted through the entire container cover.

On the other hand, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 may further include a substrate detection unit (not shown) for detecting whether a substrate in the container exists.

The substrate detector may include a detection sensor that detects the substrate in the substrate container cleaner 20 to determine whether a substrate exists in the substrate container. In this case, the substrate detector may be configured to detect whether or not the substrate exists before the substrate container is accommodated in the cleaning chamber A. Accordingly, since the substrate container is accommodated in the substrate container carrier 410 and the substrate container can be discharged from the substrate container before the cleaning process, the substrate container is transported and conveyed to the substrate container carrier 410 which may occur. This can eliminate the process.

When the substrate is detected by the substrate detecting unit, the substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 may stop the process and discharge the substrate to the buffer unit 200 or the loading / unloading unit 100 to store the substrate. In one embodiment, the main controller 500 as shown in FIG. 2 may control to discharge the substrate from the substrate container in which the substrate is sensed. For example, the robot 300 may discharge the substrate from the substrate container under the control of the main controller 500, and the discharged substrate may be transferred to and stored in the buffer unit 200 or the loading / unloading unit 100. Can be.

The substrate container cleaning apparatus 20 may constitute an inspection unit for inspecting the cleaning and drying of the container body and / or the container cover, and simultaneously evaluates the cleaning and drying of the container body and / or the container cover by the inspection unit. Can be done. That is, according to the present invention, since the inspection result can be obtained by performing the inspection in one substrate vessel cleaning apparatus 20, the time is compared with the conventional method of configuring a separate apparatus for drying after the vessel cleaning. And efficient in terms of yield. In addition, the cleaning and drying at the same time can increase the accuracy. If the inspection result of the inspection unit, the inspection result for the cleaning and drying of the container body and / or the container cover does not meet the criteria, the substrate container cleaning device 20 immediately reflects the inspection result to the container body and / or container cover immediately The apparatus may further include a device capable of performing recleaning and rebuilding. This re-cleaning and re-drying process may be performed using the buffer unit 200.

So far, the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. These examples are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the present invention, and should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are used only for the purpose of illustrating the concept of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims or the claims. Each step of the invention need not necessarily be performed in the order described, and may be performed in parallel, selectively or individually. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible without departing from the essential technical spirit of the invention as claimed in the claims. Equivalents are to be understood to include not only currently known equivalents but also equivalents to be developed in the future, ie all components invented to perform the same function regardless of structure.

10: container body 12: container cover
14 substrate 20 substrate container cleaning device
100: loading / unloading unit 110: transfer unit
120: door opening part 200: buffer part
300: robot 350: robot controller
400: cleaning unit 410: substrate container carrier
411: rotating part 413: container body support
414a: lower frame 414b: side frame
415: support bar 417: support guide
418a: connection frame 418b: upper connection
419 container cover support 419a container cover side frame
419b: lower frame of the container cover 420: detection sensor
421: reflecting plate 430: cleaning nozzle unit
431: upper nozzle 433: lower nozzle
435: side nozzle 437: rear nozzle
500: main controller 600: monitoring unit
700: washing liquid storage unit 750: air storage unit
800: storage portion 810: support portion
820: air jet
A: cleaning chamber B: door

Claims (11)

A substrate container cleaning apparatus for cleaning a substrate container comprising a container body and a container cover for storing and transporting a substrate,
A buffer unit for storing a substrate container to be cleaned or a substrate container having been cleaned;
A cleaning unit accommodating and cleaning the substrate container waiting in advance in the buffer unit at a time by the storage capacity; And
Including an inspection unit for inspecting the cleaning and drying of the container body and the container cover,
The cleaning unit,
A substrate including a plurality of container body support parts on which the container body is seated with an open portion of the container body facing downward, a plurality of container cover support parts on which the container cover is seated, and a rotating part transmitting rotational force by a motor; Container carrier; And
And a cleaning nozzle unit configured to spray cleaning solution, comprising a top nozzle, a bottom nozzle, a side nozzle, and a rear nozzle disposed on the top, bottom, side, and rear surfaces of the substrate container carrier,
At least one of the upper nozzle, the lower nozzle, the side nozzle, and the rear nozzle injects a two-fluid body in consideration of at least one of the size of the container body and the container cover and the rotational speed by the rotation of the rotating unit. A substrate container cleaning device. The method of claim 1,
If the inspection result of the cleaning and drying of at least one of the container body and the container cover does not meet the standard, the container body and the container cover that do not meet the standard using the buffer unit Substrate vessel cleaning apparatus, characterized in that to perform the re-cleaning and redrying. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a storage unit for drying and storing the container cover,
The storage unit,
A support part supporting one side portion of the container cover such that the container cover is stored side by side with a predetermined inclination angle in a vertical line; And
Substrate container cleaning apparatus comprising an air injection unit for injecting air from the upper portion of the storage to prevent contamination of the container cover in storage. The method of claim 1,
Each of the container body support,
A side frame supporting a side of the container body, a lower frame connected to the side frame to support an open portion of the container body, and a support bar supporting an open edge of the container body across the lower frame. ,
The container cover support portion,
Substrate container cleaning apparatus, characterized in that spaced apart from the side frame between the container body support. delete The method of claim 4, wherein
The container body support portion,
And a support guide protruding upward from the lower frame at an edge portion of the container body to be in contact with two adjacent side surfaces of the container body. The method of claim 1,
And a sensor for detecting whether the container body seated on the container body support part or the container cover seated on the container cover support part is detached. The method of claim 7, wherein
The apparatus may further include a reflector provided at a position facing the sensor.
And at least one of the container body support and the container cover support is positioned on a path where the sensor and the reflector face each other. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of container body support parts and the container cover support part, the substrate container cleaning apparatus, characterized in that arranged in a circular shape around the rotation. The method of claim 1,
The cleaning nozzle unit is provided with a plurality of the upper nozzle, the lower nozzle, the side nozzle, and the rear nozzle, respectively,
The plurality of upper nozzles and the plurality of lower nozzles are arranged in a circle corresponding to the shape of the substrate container carrier, and the plurality of side nozzles and the plurality of rear nozzles are arranged to surround the periphery of the substrate container carrier. A substrate container cleaning device. The method of claim 1,
The container cover support portion is connected to the container body support portion through a connection portion,
Substrate container cleaning apparatus, characterized in that for supporting the container cover through a lower frame having a support guide to which the container cover is fixed.

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